Savory Oatmeal Bowl with Stewed Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Rainbow Chard
Oatmeal. It’s not just for breakfast anymore.
I was recently reading the book How Not To Die, by Dr. Michael Greger. (Actually, re-reading. I love this book, but it’s pretty dense with information and so I re-read it from time to time to refresh my memory and to pick up on things that I missed before.) On this go around, I focused on something that I hadn’t in prior readings: the suggestion to try savory oatmeal as a means of getting whole grains into your diet. At first, I couldn’t quite get my head around converting traditional oatmeal with maple syrup, nuts and berries into something with savory, but I had also been working out another problem in my head and this savory oatmeal idea seemed like it might be the perfect solution.
The other problem I had was this lingering craving for cheesy grits. I am not a southerner and I could probably count the number of times I’ve had cheesy grits on one hand, but nevertheless there was this craving. I do hesitate when it comes to grits — I just don’t see a lot of bang for my caloric buck in eating them. Savory oatmeal seemed like a good way to address this craving and get a little more protein and fiber into my diet along the way.
Cheesy grits were the inspiration for the base of this dish, but the stewed vegetables on top came from reminiscing about going out for mussels in the fall. This is another unexpected craving for me. In the past, I was lukewarm on mussels at best. But oh… the broth. The broth! The broth that mussels are served in is often so savory and just so perfect for the cooler, fall weather. The days of dipping bread, or fries, into it whilst sipping Belgium beer… Yum!
So here I was with these two, unrelated cravings nagging at me, when enter: Swiss chard. Lots and lots of Swiss chard given to me by a local farmer as a thank you gift. And I thought, what if I made a vegetable based broth and simmered this Swiss chard in it, along with some mushrooms, tomatoes and some herbs that one might use when making a tomato-based broth for mussels? And, what if I then took that broth with stewed vegetables and I served it over a bed of savory oatmeal? Even better, what if I cooked the oatmeal in the liquid from the tomatoes and added some nutritional yeast to give it that cheesy flavor I’ve been craving.
The result was one of my most favorite meals. It’s savory and flavorful and chock full of goodness with a variety of vegetables, spices and herbs. The day I decided to create it, we had friends over for dinner and they liked it so much they asked me for the recipe. Which I didn’t have, until now. And while I had a lot going on in my head when I was creating it, it’s actually really easy. The time consuming part is the veggie prep, but it’s a two-pot dinner and it makes for good leftovers. I made it in the morning after breakfast and reheated it for dinner (bear in mind you may need to add more water to both elements when reheating and then adjust the spices accordingly).
Recipe
Savory Oatmeal Bowl with Stewed Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Rainbow Chard
Oatmeal. It's not just for breakfast anymore. This savory vegan dish is full of flavor, featuring stewed tomatoes, mushrooms and Swiss chard and finished with spices reminiscent of a tomato-based mussels broth.
Ingredients
- 2 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 c. steel cut oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- 2 c. tomato juice, saved from canned whole tomatoes
- 1 8 oz. can unsweetened coconut cream
- 1 T. nutritional yeast
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 t. dried thyme
- 1 t. dried oregano
- 1 t. dried parsley
- 1/2 t. crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard
- 1 carton of white button mushrooms
- 2 c. water
- 1/4 c. parsley, as garnishment
Directions
- Step 1 Rinse and dry all produce.
- Step 2 Open and drain both cans of whole tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Chop the onion and the garlic. Separate the chard leaves from the stems. Roughly chop both the leaves and stems, keeping them separate. Remove the mushroom stems and roughly chop the caps. Set aside.
- Step 3 In a medium-sized sauce pan, bring 2 c. of the reserved tomato juice to a boil. If you do not have enough tomato juice, supplement with water. Add the steel cut oats, the coconut cream and the nutritional yeast. Reduce to a simmer until liquid is absorbed and the oats are tender, but chewy. About 20 minutes. Add additional tomato juice/water 1/4 c. at a time if necessary.
- Step 4 While the oats cook, add the olive oil to a cast-iron skillet or deep non-stick skillet and cook the onion over medium heat until translucent. About 3 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring frequently, until fragrant. About 1 minute.
- Step 5 Add the stems and the button mushrooms to the onions and garlic in the skillet, stirring frequently, until softened. About 2 minutes. Add the thyme, oregano, chili pepper and dried parsley. Stir and allow to cook until fragrant. About 2 minutes. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes and the water. Bring the broth to a simmer and stir occasionally about 10 minutes.
- Step 6 When the oats have finished cooking and the consistency is thick (like breakfast oatmeal), spoon them into the bottom of a shallow bowl to serve as a bed for the tomato broth.
- Step 7 By now, the liquid should have mostly cooked down in the tomato stew, leaving it thick and chunky. Add the chard leaves and stir. Cook until wilted. About 2 minutes.
- Step 8 Spoon the tomato stew over the savory oatmeal and serve with about a tablespoon of torn parsley.
What’s in my kitchen that made this recipe easier?
A cast iron skillet is the kitchen workhorse. In particular, I love it for creating the deep carmelized finish on my food, which I think makes stewed veggies stand out even more. In the recipe above, I brown all of the vegetables before adding any liquid. I’ve had my cast iron skillet for ages, but I did find this highly rated (and reasonably priced version) on Amazon – the Utopia Kitchen Pre-Seasoned 12.5″. Then, I included Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats in the list as well. I just love cooking with these because they come out perfectly tender and chewy.
Did you make this recipe? Let us know what you thought? Did you change anything?
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